Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff William Irwin was killed when his police motorcycle was struck head-on by another vehicle during a period of heavy fog on the Tamiami Trail.
He was traveling east and swerved to avoid a road hazard. The driver in the automobile traveling west did not see him, and when Deputy Irwin was struck, he flew off the motorcycle, fracturing his skull. Two occupants in the vehicle were injured.
Deputy Irwin was a United States Marine Corps WWI veteran and had served with the Collier County Sheriff's Office for six months.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-8426660D- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Marine Corps. One record, 2 gates. William is one person.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Deputy Sheriff Irwin served with the Collier County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Naples community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
William Irwin served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.
Deputy Sheriff William Irwin is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In FL, 313 of 1,008 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.1% of this state's fallen. That is 31.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Collier County Sheriff's Office, 4 of 11 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 36.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Irwin's cause is highlighted.
How William Irwin Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Irwin is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Military Service
William Irwin served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.
Visit William Irwin’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Laid to Rest
Others Who Wore This Badge
10 officers from Collier County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
